Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility AXAF w an overview

Abstract The Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) is the x-ray component of NASA's Great Observatories. Tobe launched in late 1998, AXAF will provide unprecedented capabilities for high-resolution imaging, spectrometricimaging, and high-resolution dispersive spectroscopy, over the x-ray band from about 0.1 keV to 10 keV. Withthese capabilities, AXAF observations will address many of the outstanding questions in astronomy, astrophysics,and cosmology.Keywords: space missions, x-ray astronomy, x-ray optics, x-ray instrumentation, x-ray spectroscopy 1 INTRODUCTION In late 1998, the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) will join the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)and the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) as one of NASA's Great Observatories. As the mostsensitive high-resolution x-ray observatory yet planned, AXAF will be a unique scientific facility for use by thegeneral astronomical community. AXAF will provide exceptional capabilities (§5) for x-ray imaging, spectrometricimaging, and dispersive spectroscopy over the energy range 0.1 keV to 10 keV. In very broad terms, the scientificobjectives of AXAF are these:1. To determine the nature of celestial objects and phenomena.2. To understand the physical processes occurring in cosmic sources.3. To investigate the history, evolution, and structure of the universe.312 / SPIE Vol. 2515 0-8194-I874-9/95/$6.00